The Dallas Mavericks (15-14, 3-9 Away) head to face the Cleveland Cavaliers (19-11, 13-2 Home) Saturday in a matchup of slow-paced teams. Both teams will be playing on back-to-back days. The Mavericks are 2-4 without a day off, while the Cavaliers are 3-2.
Dallas dismantled the Portland Trail Blazers 130-110 at American Airlines Center yesterday. With 33 points, nine assists, and six rebounds, Luka Doncic led the way. The Mavericks are the ninth seed in the Western Conference.Cleveland triumphed yesterday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, beating the Indiana Pacers 118-112.
Donovan Mitchell had 41 points to lead the team. The Cavaliers are the third seed in the Eastern Conference. The teams are meeting for the final time this season. Cleveland will be aiming for a season sweep against Dallas after coming out on top in the only prior meeting 105-90 at American Airlines Center on Wednesday.
Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 34 points. Doncic had 30 points and six assists in the losing effort. The Mavs have been led this season by Doncic, who is averaging 33.0 points per game, best in the league. Doncic also is contributing 8.3 rebounds and 8.7 assists per game, placing him first and first in the NBA, respectively.
Mitchell’s 29.7 points per game have powered the Cavs on offense. He is the top scorer in the league. Jarrett Allen is pulling down 10.0 rebounds per game, most in the league, and Darius Garland is doling out 7.9 assists (1st).
Half-court execution will be paramount in this matchup that showcases the NBA’s two slowest-paced teams, as the Cavaliers and the Mavericks rank 30th and 29th, respectively, in possessions per game. The Mavericks have found success in recent games at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, winning seven of the last 10.
Dallas is 6-4 in the last 10 games with an average margin of +2.0 (116.9-114.9). Cleveland has also gone 6-4 over the last 10, scoring 104.4 points per game on average while holding opponents to 99.7 (+4.7 margin). The Cavaliers are averaging 110.9 ppg for the full season while allowing 104.8.
MAVERICKS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points per game:
Dorian Finney-Smith: 5.4 | 8.3 | -2.9
Assists per game:
Spencer Dinwiddie: 6.6 | 5.3 | +1.3
CAVALIERS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Kevin Love: 10.0 | 18.1 | -8.1
Points per game:
Caris LeVert: 18.0 | 12.3 | +5.7
Rebounds per game:
Jarrett Allen: 7.4 | 10.0 | -2.6
Assists per game:
Donovan Mitchell: 2.7 | 4.6 | -1.9
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
Over 211.5 (-110)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
